pokemon go

Research Breakthroughs in Pokemon Go

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Raikou and Zapdos - electric legendaries

Back in early 2018, Niantic created Research Breakthroughs, a reward for doing field research tasks and doing a new one every day. Do 7 days worth of field research and you’re rewarded with an encounter with a mysterious Pokemon, which changed every month. First off you could get Articuno, then Zapdos, then Moltres, then the legendary doggos Raikou, Entei and Suicine, followed by the rather odd choice of Shedinja. If you timed your field research well enough, you could obtain four or even five of each Pokemon during the months in which they were available. In December 2018, Niantic announced… [Continue Reading]

Why Spark is the Best Team Leader

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Pokemon Go Spark

Honestly, I’m like two years too late on this article. Most people have already picked their teams and there’s absolutely no way of changing your team without starting a new account. Some people are insane enough to never pick a team, but most people will tend to pick red, blue or yellow. From my brief research, it seems that Team Mystic, with Articuno as their mascot and Blanche as the team’s leader, is the most popular team. Apparently about 40% of players are with Team Mystic but I can’t actually find any up to date stats, most of these figures… [Continue Reading]

Some More Little Things I’d Like in Pokemon Go

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Pokemon Go - Tyranitar

Pokemon Go is a great little game, but there’s always things that could be done better. Here are six little things, just small tweaks, that I’d like to see in Pokemon Go. The Chance to Find Evolved Shinies in the Wild Did you know you can’t actually find evolved Pokemon as shinies in the wild? Unless specifically mentioned for Raids (e.g. Shiny Gengar, Shiny Raichu), or in specific events (the one day Shiny Nidoqueen that appeared for World Women Day), if you see an evolved Pokemon in the wild, it won’t be a shiny. Which frankly I don’t know why… [Continue Reading]

Pokemon Who Have Surprised Me

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Medic and a bunch of Pokemon face a massive Tyranitar

While playing Pokemon Go, I’ve been told multiple times about what the meta is and what Pokemon are good and what Pokemon I should power up and all that. But I’ve had some Pokemon, Pokemon who are normally ignored or not used or anything like that, who have really stepped forward and done their job in my moment of need. That sounds tacky and corny but frankly, not everyone has an army of fucking Tyranitars and Shadow Ball Mewtwos. And frankly some of these Pokemon are so unpopular I couldn’t find models of them in the Garry’s Mod Steam Workshop.… [Continue Reading]

Pokemon Go Tips for Twonks

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Pokemon Go - Tyranitar

It’s fine, being a newbie. Everyone was a newbie once. Most people grow out of it as they learn and get better. Some people *cough* like me *cough* could use a little extra help. So here’s a bunch of random tips that I’ve picked up since I started playing back in August. Use The Whole Screen Don’t be an idiot like me. You can use the whole screen to throw a Pokeball. This is most useful on those bastard Legendaries (and Pokemon like Gengar and Clefable) who like to stand really far away and taunt you as balls bounce at… [Continue Reading]

The Troubles of Organizing for Level 5 Raids

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Pokemon Go Lugia raid

As I write this, there are two level 5 raids across the road. One at a blue gym, one at a yellow gym, both right next to each other. Normally people wouldn’t be fussed, as Cresselia has been the only level 5 raid boss lately and she’s not particularly useful, but between the 15th and the 18th, Ho-Oh and Lugia are appearing in raids. These are powerful Pokemon. They’re legendary Pokemon and are very desirable. Also they have shiny forms which are even more desirable. On top of that, they are pretty damn rare and haven’t really been available for… [Continue Reading]

Rhydon: A Tarnished Past and a Troubled Future

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When I first started Pokemon GO, I committed myself to only owning one of each type of Pokemon (not counting my traveling Rattata collection). The game was so stingy with storage space I knew I needed to do something to prevent myself from becoming a hoarder. Plus it gives my Pokemon more of an identity and forces me to use more interesting battle squads than just 6 Mewtwos or Machamps. This means that my Rhydon was far and away my most valuable Pokemon in the early months of the game. Rhyhorns were everywhere in my hometown, so he was the first Pokemon I… [Continue Reading]

PvP Has Arrived in Pokemon Go! Kinda…

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The loading screen in Pokemon Go for the PvP update

Ah, Niantic. Bless your little cotton socks. You’ve released something that people have wanted for years and it’s a little bit hit and miss, as always. PvP gameplay is finally here in Pokemon Go and it’s a bit of a bumpy ride right now. The good news? PvP is easy to access and completely optional. You an enjoy fighting NPCs if you don’t ever want to fight against real people and you can happily decline any and all challenges if you want to be a pacifist. It might not be working amazingly right now, but that doesn’t matter because you… [Continue Reading]

Building the Best Gym Attackers in Pokemon GO

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Pokemon GO is experiencing a booming renaissance after Niantic added several awesome features that augment the core gameplay. The research quest mechanic gives players constant goals beyond simply catching Pokemon, and the new Adventure sync system that links Pokemon Go’s progress with your fitness app of choice is encouraging players to use the app to get fit. The slow rollout of Gen IV and the imminent PvP mode is creating all sorts of buzz. But its also bringing in a lot of players who don’t know the core elements of Pokemon GO‘s battling system. It’s pretty easy from a surface look, but… [Continue Reading]

Building Proper Gym Defenders in Pokemon GO

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As you play Pokemon GO, you’ll quickly accrue a sizeable army of tried-and-true battlers to help you take on even the most stalwart of gyms and fearsome of raids (and soon, rival trainers!) But most of those Pokemon unfortunately will not make good gym defenders. A gym defender has an impossible task assigned to them. Even at top motivation, any attacking Pokemon will have a massive advantage going into a fight. Even worse, they likely will not be at top motivation, which only makes their chances bleaker. This makes it all the more important that you select the best possible… [Continue Reading]